Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-12-16
THE MEXICAN HAMMOCK.
How Il Ii Made, and Attendant Peculi
Circumstances.

How Il IL Made, and Attendant Peculia,
Circumstances.
''Snug pile of hammocks. isn't it,
asked a down town importer Of re-
porter. pointing to a stack Of bales OH the
sidewalk in front of his place.
"Yes, rather. What are they? Mexi.
can seagrassg"
Sea nonsense, Hammocks are moi
made Of seagrass any Aiore than flool
mating is. These are Mexican ham.
mocks, but they are made from the fiber
Of the heniquen plant, a species Of cac-
tus that flourishes in the state of Yuca-
tan. All Mexican hammocks are made
there, and more hammocks are exported
from there than from any other place in
the world
''How are they made:" asked the re-
porter.
They are made entirely by hand and
with primitive implements, continued
the dealer. with c@ple of straight
poles. home made shuttle. thin slab
of native zapoli wood. and pile of heni-
quen leaves the Indian Of Yucatan is pre-
pared to accept contracts for hammocks
by the piece. dozen or hundred. The
poles are placed a certain distance apart,
according to the length of the hammock
to be made. The thin slab of wood is
rapidly fashioned with the aid Of a small
machette into tonsas or stripper. BY
the aid of this tonkas the fiber of the
thick, fleshy heniquen leaf, which is a
species of cactus. is denuded Of its cover
ing. and a wisp of hatchkill or rasped
fiber is the result.
The hatchkill is bleached in the sun
and then becomes soskil. These are then
separated into small heaps. containing
about the same number Of fibers. When
the entire supply on hand is thus laid out
the operator takes ip the fibers. and with
q dexterous roll between the palm of the
hand and the knee transforms them into
heavy cords or kuns, as the natives call
them.
''Out of this cord the hammocks are
made The cord is wound around the
two poles which have been planted in the
ground and the work is turned over to
the women. They. with their wide shut
ties. accomplish the balance of the task
III remarkably rapid and thorough man
ner. When a pile has accumulated the
contractor comes around and gathers
them up.
The relations between the operator
and contractor are very peculiar" said
the dealer, land would exist nowhere
else in the world. In order to get the
hammocks necessary for his trade ths
contractor must often pay for them three
months in advance, as it is only when the
natives owe money that they will consent
to work. In order to get chance to owe
this money the native will promise to
furnish the contractor, whom he knows,
with a number of hammocks at n certain
time if the contractor will advance him .
sum OF money. On this money the en-
terprising native can live in idleness for
several months. The contractor agrees
TO this. If he doesn't he can get no ham,
mocks. But once the native has bound
himself to supply the goods they will be
forthcoming at the time stipulated.
Should death intervene. his relatives per-
form the contract.
But this advance system is sore drain
on the contractor, who is rarely a person
Of large capital. He must of necessity
the natives. and he needs
outside help to do so. This help he OBJ
tains In the shape of advances from the
in Merida, to whom he turns
over the hanimocls he secures at a con-
advance over the amount they
have cost him. These Merida merchants
in turn seId the goods to their New York
1.-The hammocks are carefully sorted in
Merida before they are baled for ship
ment to the United States, which absorbs
almost the entire production. Last year
il amounted to nearly $4,000. All the
districts of iucatan produce a greater or
lesser quantity Of hammocks, but the
rixcoco district is by far the largest pro-
iucer. sending out. it is calculated, every
year as many as the balance of the state
pat together. The finest specimens of
''ic hammock makers art. however,
ONE from ChenaX. But few of these
yer find their way to the United States.
They are so eagerly sought after at home
hat there Is no necessity for sending
hem away, especially as good prices are
realized on the ground.
Hammock making in Yucatan is cvi.
iently very old art. concluded the
lealer. while on a visit there some
Years ago | found hammock hooks and
oeams in nearly all the ruins of the grand
prehistoric cities which lie buried in the
orests. Of their history and the history
# the races which peopled the sea cities
III trace has been lost but the interesting
little fiirtations which originate and are |
'arried on in the cozy retreat of the ham. |
mock of today doubt not had their pho |
otypes many hundreds. perhaps thous-
Inds, Of years ago in the forests of Yuca-
an, for evidently the Yucatanians Of |
hose days all swung in hammocks. -
Sew York Evening Sun.